Evidence helping to identify the USA as Manasseh from Rabbinic Studies.
The English-speaking Peoples are identifiable as the tribes of Joseph. Ephraim dominates in Britain and Manasseh in the USA.
Three caveats are required firstly:
1. Not everyone in the USA is an Israelite. There may be more non-Hebrew than Hebrew there. Nethertheless Israelites historically have been dominant and from a Biblical point of view it should be considered an Israelite country.
2. Members of all the 12 Israelite Tribes are present in the USA. In some areas descendants of Tribes other than Ephraim or Manasseh may be dominant. This will need a separate study.
3. Even though Manasseh has determined the Tribal Identity and National Characteristics of America numerically there may be more descendants of Ephraim within its borders.
The USA is considered to be Manasseh because:
1. It fulfills the Promises given to Joseph. Ephraim and Manasseh were the two sons of Joseph.
2. The Name America is derived from a Medieval Latin permutation of the Hebrew word, "Ha-Machiri," that in the Bible originally connoted "Sons of Machir." Machir was the firstborn son of Manasseh.
3. The name "Machir" (from which we get the term "America") in Hebrew implies the Principle of Selling or of Capitalism and the USA is the foremost capitalist country.
4. The name "Manasseh" according to the etymological analysis of Rabbi Shimshon Rafael Hirsch in his Commentary on Genesis in effect encompasses the Principe of Responsible Representation. This is the Foundational principle of the US Constitution and was the cause of the American war of Independence against Britain. The US Constitution is very important to Americans far more than is the case regarding how other countries view their own constitution. The US Constitution reflects a basic national instinct in America.
5. A good proportion of the early settlers of America before its independence and for some while after came from areas within the British Isles that Brit-Am Studies indicate had been populated by descendants of Manasseh.
6. The Great Seal of the USA indicates ancestry from Israel and Joseph and Manasseh especially: The All-Seeing Eye of Divine providence associated with Joseph, the Pyramid representing Egypt, a symbolo of Joseph. The number 13 representing Manasseh the son of Joseph, the olive branches, and and other indications, see: US Great Seal.
7. Americans are called Yanks. This is a form of the name Jacob aka Israel (Genesis 32:28, 35:10). It was especially applied to Manasseh. The sons of Joseph were Ephraim and Manasseh. Ephraim was more of a continuation of Joseph whereas Manasseh pertained to Jacob (BNEI YISSACHAR, "Marcheshvan;" Fishel MAEL, p. 490). It follows that 'Yank" a nick-name for Jacob should accrue to descendants of Manasseh in the USA! The Ten Tribes in the End Times are referred to in connection with the raising up the Tribes of Jacob (Isaiah 49:6). The nickname Yank or YANKEE for North American derives from a form of the name Jacob. Within the USA, Yankee or Yank means someone from the northern states as against those from the south. Outside of the USA however, the nickname "Yank" is applied to citizens of the USA no matter what part of the US they come from.
Isaiah 49:6 AND HE SAID, IT IS A LIGHT THING THAT THOU SHOULDEST BE MY SERVANT TO RAISE UP THE TRIBES OF JACOB, AND TO RESTORE THE PRESERVED OF ISRAEL: I WILL ALSO GIVE THEE FOR A LIGHT TO THE GENTILES, THAT THOU MAYEST BE MY SALVATION UNTO THE END OF THE EARTH.
In addition to the above, Rabbinical Studies concerning the Tribal Characteristics of Manasseh in Biblical Times show parallels with the American National Characters and Formational Experience. The studies in question when they were conducted did not have any comparison of Manasseh with America in mind. They were carried in a Theoretical Vacuum without any prior consideration. The scholars found characteristics of Manasseh in Biblical Accounts that they considered worthy of notice for their own sakes so they wrote them down. We came along knowing the USA is identifiable with Manasseh and found that indeed the noted traits of Manasseh are also applicable to Americans!
Rabbi Shmei Michael AUSTRAICHER, noted that the name "Manasseh" in Hebrew [“MeNaSheh”] hints at being "Second" ["MiShNeh"]. This connotes coming after Ephraim and building on what Ephraim had done. In Hebrew a word may have more than one word-root. Usually the different roots for the one word will be related to each other. Letters in a word root may transmute i.e. flip around. This is known in Linguistics as "Metathesis." The name Manasseth (in Modern Hebrew pronounced as "Manasheh") could be understood to mean "to come second," "to make changes, to revolutionize." This fits our identification of the USA with Manasseh.
The young man, servant of the prophet, came to the commander of the army, Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi
2-Kings (NASB) 9:
4 So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth-Gilead. 5 When he arrived, behold, the commanders of the army were sitting, and he said, "I have a word for you, commander." And Jehu said, "For which one of us?" And he said, "For you, commander." 6 He then got up and went into the house, and the prophet's servant poured the oil on his head and said to him, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: 'I have anointed you king over the people of the LORD, over Israel.'
Jehu ("Yehu") is then commanded to extirpate the House of Ahab (from the Tribe of Ephraim) which was then ruling over Israel. At that time the northern Kingdom of Israel was ruled over by Joram the son of Ahab.
Jehu took the army and came to the city of Jezre'el where the King was. Jehu was diving in a chariot. The watchman on the wall of the city saw Jehu approaching.
He reported:
"... the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously" (2-Kings 9:20).
Jehu kills the king and all his houseehold. Jehu then wiped out all the pagan priests who worshipped baal.
The USA emerged from Britain but it was quite different. It came second after Britain and needed the American War of Independence meaning a Colonial Revolution to create itself. A feature of Americanism is to constantly upgrade, change, improve, renew, and revolutionize previous concepts. These qualities were found in JEHU THE SON OF Jehoshaphat the son of NIMSHI (1-Kings 19:16) who was from the Tribe of Manasseh. Jehu was described as driving "furiously" (2-Kings 9:20). The word translated as "furiously" in Hebrew is "be-shigaon" literally "with madness" but indicating the ability to achieve aims beyond the limitations of natural progression, to change the rules, to alter the rationally accepted state of affairs. This in turn links up with the word root "shonah" to change, alter, revolutionize" and its connection with Manasseh.
Rabbi Rafael Menachem SHLANGER considered Jehu son of Nimshi to be prototypical of the leaders of Manasseh. The very name "NIMSHI" contains the Hebrew letters for MeNaShI meaning "From MANASSEH." Kings and national leaders from Manasseh such as JEHU THE SON JEHOSHAPHAT SON OF NIMSHI (1-Kings 19:16) were appointed for a specific purpose. Jehu, for instance, was anointed in order to purge the people of idolatry. The appointment of Jehu involved transferring the Monarchy from the House of Ahab of Ephraim to Jehu of Manasseh. This meant a reduction from a Monarchy of Israel to a Rule of Princes [in the sense of the Prince representing the people and being appointed for a limited purpose]. The Prophet Elisha sent one of the "Sons of the Prophets" i.e. young men learning to be prophets, to Jehu who was then a field commander over Israelite Forces facing the enemy.
2-Kings 9:
5 When he arrived, behold, the commanders of the army were sitting, and he said, I have a word for you, commander. And Jehu said, For which one of us? And he said, For you, commander.
The word translated here as "Commander" in Hebrew is "Ha-Sar" meaning literally "The Prince." It could also rendered as "Mr. President" and would not be misleading! The concept of President in the minds of the formulators of the US Constitution was something like a king appointed for a limited period and with authority within defined parameters. This is similar to that of "The Prince" appointed from the Tribe of Manasseh.
Manasseh the Revolutionary
R. M.SHLANGER considered Jehu son of Nimshi to be prototypical of the leaders of Manasseh. Kings from Manasseh such as JEHU THE SON OF NIMSHI (1-Kings 19:16) were appointed for a specific purpose. Jehu, for instance, was appointed in order to purge the people of idolatry. The very name NIMSHI in Hebrew contains the letters of Manasseh.
The act of transferring the Monarchy from Ephraim to Manasseh involved a reduction from a Monarchy of Israel to a Rule of Princes [in the sense of the Prince representing the people and being appointed for a limited purpose]. For this reason Jehu was addressed as "Prince" [in Hebrew "Sar" meaning "prince" but translated in the KJ as "Captain"].
AMERICA TO BE REDEEMED FIRST?
The impression in the Bible (1-Chronicles 5:26) is that the Tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-Tribe of Manasseh were the first to be exiled. These groups had all been situated to the east of the Jordan River. A tradition says that the half-Tribe of Manasseh, which was east of the Jordan, are destined to be the first to be redeemed. Descendants of Machir dominated in this area. Prophecies and traditions concerning Manasseh are applicable to the U.S.A. Britain, on the other hand, was to remain the province of EPHRAIM. Even if the majority of Israelites in the USA are physically descended from Ephraim it is the attribute of Manasseh which is dominant there, Another portion of Manasseh appears to have remained in Germany and Central Europe whence it later moved en masse to America.